Mary's CBD

 



Today between meetings I had the perfect opportunity to poke my head in to the latest army to enter the Sydney 'Burger Wars' - Mary's new CBD location. The dust was still settling after the Blogosphere exploded last Friday, and I finally got to see what all the fuss is about.

I haven't yet had the chance to check out the original Mary's in Newtown, and so only reputation, not expectation, preceded me. I became aware of the imminent CBD launch last month when I tentatively contacted the Newtown Locals after their stellar presence at the Newtown Festival. Kenny Graham of Mary's and spokesperson for the NL was very apologetic, but naturally a little pre-occupied setting up his latest venue. I wished him the best with his opening, and decided to have a bit of a sniff around to suss out his latest venture.

Oddly, for a modern restaurant, Mary's doesn't have much of a social media presence - sans a rather entertaining Instagram account and a Facebook location page for the Newtown venue. Mind you, the Facebook boasts over 3'600 likes, hardly something to be sniffed at. Amusingly, the reviews include one patron complaining they were called a 'cocksucker' when they drunkenly snatched someone else's half eaten burger, with a host of users coming to Mary's defence. It would seem that Mary's is a bit of a Newtown legend - and the brief glimpses online I saw were of a burger joint that was pretty laid back, didn't take crap from anyone and had a strong fan base willing to come to it's defence.

This is exactly what you get when you enter their new CBD location. Like Mr Crackles on Oxford St, Mary's is purely a take-away joint. An exposed kitchen behind the registers lets you see the prep, but also lets you see the staff having a good time. This isn't 'fast food' - slapped together by workers who aren't allowed to show expression. This is food made by people enjoying themselves, and who are more interested in doing their job well than being rushed. It's a style of service that I have seen divide a crowd. Some will see inefficiency and demand speed, others will see a refreshing break from the 'now, now, now,' attitude pushed by many food establishments. Only time will show how the majority rule.

The service was friendly, the wait time reasonable and the crew entertaining to watch. The wall art, menus and logo, all created by Sydney 'illustrator dude' Sindy Sinn, fit the vibe perfectly. Rock music is blasted throughout, and if you get bored, you can always graffiti the wall - pens provided. Mary's isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, but they aren't going to make any apologies about it either.

Ignoring the already established reputation of Mary's, the strong 'attitude' of the place could be a turn off for some. Yet, there is something to be said about a restaurant, even a small take-away burger bar, that doesn't feel the need to bow to conformity to avoid offence. There is nothing off-putting about Mary's for those who speak the language. Tattoo sleeves are not covered here - and they are abundant on both the staff and the customers. It's an actual hard rock café, without the scent of gimmicky desperation. A family joint if 'In A Gada Da Vida' was your token kids lullaby.

The staff rock. The art rocks. The music rocks. The food? Mary's is the third burger I've had in a month from a 'Burger War' contender, and I'll be swearing my allegiance. They don't look anywhere near as pretty as the Burger Project, and aren't as experimental as Rupert and Ruby's, but they nail that classic burger taste. Neil Perry was looking for the burgers of his childhood - Mary's burgers taste as good as childhood looks in hindsight. Next time, I'll be sure to order one of their famous shakes. Yes, there will definitely be a next time.

Mary's is the kind of place I instantly fall in love with - it's clearly a venture that is all about creating a community, not a profit. Hopefully, there will be more places like Mary's to challenge the fast food empires that have controlled the concept of take-away for too long.

Mary's in the CBD is at 154 Castlereagh St, and are open from 11am til late.

Mr Crackles

Being a relative newcomer to Sydney, I'm still learning to navigate my way around the pick of the eateries. When having breakfast with a friend the other day, I was asked if I'd yet been dragged kicking and screaming to the amazing Mr Crackles. I admitted that I had not. She told me of a tiny place created by two Sydney chefs, that had set out seeking perfection, and had damn near found it. Intrigued, I performed the obligatory Google search, where an average of 4.5 out of 5 stars from all the major review players appeared to back up my friends story. The Mr Crackles website is modern, easy to navigate and creates a clear picture of what they are all about. Everything pointed the necessity of a lunch mission.

Unfortunately, over the weekend I managed to injure myself in spectacular fashion. It looked like a sweet pulled pork roll was out of the question. Fortunately, my long suffering partner came to my aid, and so together we hobbled slowly down Oxford Street and eventually found ourselves in Mr Crackles - nestled between a massage parlour and an adult store. Ah, Sydney. You really are my kind of town.

The first thing that strikes you is how unassuming the place looks. It is comfortable in it's 'take-away' atmosphere - there are only a dozen bar stools lining the walls, no tables. The counter is clean, the menu simple and easy to read. The eyes are immediately drawn to the large glass showcase of pork crackling off to the side. There is only a glimpse of the kitchen beyond, but I get the feeling that there is much more to see beyond the red tiled alcove. Somewhere back there the magic was happening, and while I was slightly disappointed not to be able to see the action, the smells coming from the kitchen were more than enough to whet my appetite.

The stylish branding from website is carried through to the physical space and packaging, so things already felt familiar. Mr Crackles could have gone the way of a gimmicky food joint - boars heads on the walls or pig shaped napkins - instead the place looks practical and efficient without being sterile or lacking character. I'm glad they went for the latter, because the food speaks for itself.


It's the meat that is the star at Mr Crackles, and it is clearly treated as such. Everything was incredibly tasty, the flavours well balanced and excellent value. The products are unique, and everything was done well. There is a skill apparent, and here I come to what makes Mr Crackles stand apart from most other take-away joints in town.

This food is prepared by trained chefs. Not by teenagers trying to earn a buck between studying for school. Not by part time workers who are following a procedure of a laminated sheet above a work station. There is skill and care put in to this food, and you can really taste the difference. It may be more affordable to hire a crew of pre-pubescent workers and put them on the line, but if you want to make an impact and perfect a technique, as Mr Crackles has done, you need to invest in staff that are proud and passionate about what they do (A lesson that Mr Perry seems to have missed with his recently launched Burger Joint).

I was very impressed by the stripped back feel, the relaxed but friendly service and the amazing flavours - I wanted to know more. Co-Founder and Chef Sam Horowitz was kind enough to answer a few of my questions.

DOTL - You are fast approaching the second anniversary of Mr Crackles. How has the ride been so far?

SH - Two years has gone so quickly. It truly has been a rollercoaster. From the stress of 100 hour weeks for the first few months with just my business partner Carlos and our wives and investing all our savings to the excitement of managing over 20 chefs and figuring out how to cook over a tonne of pork a week in a very limited space. I would say the ride so far has been very educational but also satisfying.

DOTL -  What do you feel have been the most effective methods for increasing your customer base?

SH - I would say social media (Instagram and food bloggers) has been the best method for increasing our customer base. For us that not only means being active online but also making food that looks and tastes exciting, takes a good photo, and most importantly is consistent. These days people know what they want to order from photos they’ve seen on someone’s Instagram account not from looking at the menu.

DOTL - How would you like to see the business grow in the new year? 

SH - We have been looking to open another Mr Crackles in Sydney for a while, hopefully we find the right shop and location in 2015.

DOTL - How is it you want to make your customers feel when they visit Mr Crackles? How do you work to create this feeling? 

SH - It seems most cultures have a passion for pork and crackling. When most people enter the shop the sight of our whole sheets of crackling, the pork bellies, and the smells transports them back to their childhood or family events such as Christmas or weddings. It automatically puts a smile on their face before they’ve even tried the food. Also being able to see their food being made and being able talk to our chefs makes people feel comfortable. 

Mr Crackles is open from 11:30am to late most nights (even later on weekends).